Preseason

Coming off of three strong seasons (including 3 straight New Year's Day bowl appearances and 3 wins over the archrival Georgia Bulldogs), the Jackets were expected to contend for the national championship in 2001. In 2000, quarterback George Godsey had picked up where his predecessor Joe Hamilton had left off, passing for 2,906 yards and 23 touchdowns (against just 6 interceptions). Armed with targets like Kelly Campbell for his senior season, a number of preseason magazines named Godsey to 1st Team All-ACC honors, and pundits predicted that a loaded Georgia Tech team would win the Atlantic Coast Conference title with the departure of many key players from the defending champion Florida State Seminoles.